Relay node registration method and apparatus for passive internet of things, device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application discloses a relay node registration method and apparatus for a passive Internet of Things, a device, and a storage medium. The method comprises: a relay node sends a registration request to a network device, wherein the registration request carries identity identification information and supportive capability identification information of the relay node, and the supportive capability identification information is used for indicating that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

Description

Relay node registration method, device, equipment and storage medium for passive Internet of Things

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on the Chinese patent application with application number 202311219441.6 and application date September 20, 2023, and claims the priority of the Chinese patent application. The entire content of the Chinese patent application is hereby introduced into this application as a reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular to a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for registering relay nodes of a passive Internet of Things. Background Art

[0004] Driven by the internet and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, the Internet of Things (IoT) has rapidly developed and is finding widespread applications, such as smart cities, smart homes, autonomous driving, and drones. The IoT is based on the idea that everything can be connected to the internet, with the ultimate goal of achieving the interconnection of all things.

[0005] With the rapid development of IoT devices, active sensors, due to their need for power, face limitations in application scenarios, require maintenance or regular replacement of power supplies, and experience high manufacturing costs. These limitations hinder the widespread adoption and large-scale deployment of IoT. The rise of passive sensors using backscatter technology has brought new hope to the IoT and introduced a new concept: the passive internet of things (passive IoT).

[0006] A notable feature of the passive IoT is that sensors using passive backscatter technology convert available wireless signals into energy for their own operation through internal wireless acquisition modules. Backscatter technology also enables information transmission to target nodes. Backscattering modulates the data being transmitted onto an incoming radio frequency signal to achieve data transmission.

[0007] In the relevant technology, there are two main potential air interface architectures for cellular passive IoT: direct communication between access network (AN) equipment and passive tags, with the AN equipment supporting both downlink signal excitation and uplink data reception; and the use of relay nodes to transmit excitation signals and / or receive backscattered signals. However, the auxiliary communication capabilities (i.e., exciter and / or receiver functions) provided by the AN equipment and relay nodes to passive tags vary in different scenarios, making it difficult to meet the multi-scenario requirements of cellular passive services.

[0008] Summary of the Invention

[0009] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a relay node registration method, apparatus, device and storage medium for a passive Internet of Things, which are intended to adapt to cellular passive services in different network deployment scenarios.

[0010] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0011] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to a relay node. The method includes:

[0012] A registration request is sent to a network device, wherein the registration request carries identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

[0013] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0014] receiving a registration response from the network device, the registration response carrying capability configuration information of the relay node, the capability configuration information being used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function;

[0015] An activation operation or a deactivation operation is performed on at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function supported by the relay node based on the capability configuration information.

[0016] In the above solution, sending the registration request to the network device includes:

[0017] Send a registration request to the access network device; or,

[0018] A registration request is sent to a passive service server, and the registration request is forwarded to a core network device or an access network device via the passive service server.

[0019] In the above solution, receiving a registration response from the network device includes:

[0020] receiving a registration response sent by the access network device; or,

[0021] Receive a registration response sent by the passive service server.

[0022] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0023] receiving first cellular Internet of Things information sent by the access network device, and sending the first cellular Internet of Things information to the tag; and / or,

[0024] The receiving tag sends the second cellular Internet of Things information based on the backscatter technology, and sends the second cellular Internet of Things information to the access network device.

[0025] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to an access network device. The method includes:

[0026] Receive a registration request from a relay node, the registration request carrying the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, the auxiliary capability identification information being used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function; the registration request is used to perform registration management on the relay node.

[0027] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0028] Send a registration response to the relay node, where the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0029] In the above solution, receiving a registration request from a relay node includes:

[0030] Receive a registration request sent by a relay node; or,

[0031] A registration request is received, which is sent by the relay node via the passive service server.

[0032] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0033] generating capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device;

[0034] The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device has enabled the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

[0035] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0036] Obtain and store a mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage area.

[0037] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to a core network device. The method includes:

[0038] Receive a registration request from a relay node, the registration request carrying the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, the auxiliary capability identification information being used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function; the registration request is used to perform registration management on the relay node.

[0039] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0040] Send a registration response to the relay node, where the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0041] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0042] Obtaining accessibility status and / or accessibility information of access network devices;

[0043] generating capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device;

[0044] The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device has enabled the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

[0045] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0046] Obtain and store a mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage area.

[0047] In the above solution, the method further includes:

[0048] receiving a passive IoT command for accessing a target tag;

[0049] Determine a target relay node corresponding to the target tag based on the mapping relationship;

[0050] The passive Internet of Things instruction and the identity information of the target relay node are sent to the access network device corresponding to the target tag.

[0051] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to a relay node, and the device includes:

[0052] The first sending module is configured to send a registration request to the network device, wherein the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0053] In the above solution, the device further comprises:

[0054] a first receiving module configured to receive a registration response from the network device, the registration response carrying capability configuration information of the relay node, the capability configuration information being used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function;

[0055] A configuration module is configured to activate or deactivate at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function supported by the relay node based on the capability configuration information.

[0056] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to an access network device, and the device includes:

[0057] The second receiving module is configured to receive a registration request from a relay node, wherein the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function; the registration request is used to register and manage the relay node.

[0058] In the above solution, the device further comprises:

[0059] The second sending module is configured to send a registration response to the relay node, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0060] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to a core network device, and the device includes:

[0061] The third receiving module is configured to receive a registration request from a relay node, wherein the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function; the registration request is used to perform registration management on the relay node.

[0062] In the above solution, the device further comprises:

[0063] The third sending module is configured to send a registration response to the relay node, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0064] In the seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can be run on the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the steps of the method described in the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application when running the computer program.

[0065] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an access network device, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can be run on the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the steps of the method described in the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application when running the computer program.

[0066] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a core network device, comprising: a processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can be run on the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the steps of the method described in the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application when running the computer program.

[0067] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in any aspect of the embodiment of the present application are implemented.

[0068] In the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present application, a relay node sends a registration request to a network device. The registration request carries the relay node's identity information and auxiliary capability identification information, with the auxiliary capability identification information indicating that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function. This enables management and maintenance of relay node information within the network, supports configuration of the passive exciter function and / or passive receiver function for the relay node, and thus adapts to cellular passive services in different network deployment scenarios, reducing the upgrade pressure on access network equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0069] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the development stages of passive Internet of Things technology in related technologies;

[0070] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a single-point passive Internet of Things system in the related art;

[0071] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a passive 2.0 system in the related art;

[0072] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a cellular direct-connect air interface in the related art;

[0073] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a base station relay air interface in the related art;

[0074] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an auxiliary energy supply air interface in the related art;

[0075] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a UE relay air interface in the related art;

[0076] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a relay-separated receiving air interface in the related art;

[0077] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a relay-separated energy supply air interface in the related art;

[0078] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a relay-separated excitation air interface in the related art;

[0079] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the 5G network architecture;

[0080] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of integrating passive IoT technology into a 5G network according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0081] FIG13 is a flow chart of a method for registering a relay node of a passive Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0082] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a method for registering a relay node of a passive Internet of Things according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0083] FIG15 is a flow chart of a method for registering a relay node of a passive Internet of Things according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0084] FIG16 is a flow chart of a relay node registration method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG17 is a flow chart of a relay node registration method according to the second embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG18 is a schematic structural diagram of a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG19 is a schematic structural diagram of a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] The present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0091] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application.

[0092] In related technologies, passive IoT technology includes three development stages as shown in Figure 1: Passive 1.0, Passive 2.0, and Passive 3.0. The following is an example description of each development stage:

[0093] 1. Passive 1.0 Stage

[0094] The passive 1.0 stage is a single-point passive IoT system typified by ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID. As shown in Figure 2, this system consists of three components: passive tags, readers, and a higher-level management platform. The reader transmits an RF excitation signal to provide the passive tag with an RF carrier and RF power. The passive tag modulates its information onto this RF signal using backscatter communication technology. The reader receives and demodulates the backscattered signal, and uploads the collected information to the higher-level management platform, enabling the reading and transmission of passive tag information.

[0095] In this single-point passive IoT system, the backscattered signal received by the reader experiences two-way path loss, resulting in weak signal strength. Furthermore, strong carrier leakage self-interference and inter-reader interference exist on the reader side, limiting the communication distance between the reader and the tag. This has become a technical bottleneck in the system's practical application. While relevant technologies are continuously exploring the evolution of this system's technical solutions, focusing on improving the reliability and read / write efficiency of single-point communication, its application scenarios remain limited, primarily in point-to-point identification scenarios.

[0096] 2. Passive 2.0 Stage

[0097] In the Passive 2.0 stage, the reader / writer is separated from the traditional integrated transmitter and receiver into two devices, an exciter and a receiver. This improves the spatial isolation of the sending and receiving signals, reduces the self-interference of the reader / writer, and thus improves the receiver's sensitivity to the reflected signal of the passive tag, expanding the system coverage. In terms of system performance, the transmission distance and transmission efficiency of the Passive 2.0 system are significantly improved, and it has good recognition accuracy. It can be applied to single / multi-crossing areas in scenarios such as large-scale warehousing and asset management to achieve automated, large-scale, and efficient inventory of goods. In terms of commercial progress, the Passive 2.0 system has a faster and more convenient promotion model, and does not make changes to existing passive tags. It can reuse existing industry resources as much as possible, supporting seamless technology switching and rapid product implementation.

[0098] The Passive 2.0 system consists of four core components, as shown in Figure 3: a management platform, receivers, stimulators, and passive tags. The management platform is responsible for initiating business processes, centralizing the scheduling of multiple receivers, and analyzing and displaying data. The receiver is responsible for issuing command signals to the stimulator, such as selecting tags and taking inventory of tags. It also manages and controls the stimulators and regulates access resources between multiple stimulators. The stimulator forwards command signals from the receiver to the passive tags and provides energy to complete the activation process. Active passive tags backscatter their data to the outside world, which is then received and reported by the receiver, ultimately completing the reading of the information carried by the passive tags.

[0099] 3. Passive 3.0 Stage

[0100] Cellular networks have good network coverage and high-quality communication performance. With the continuous optimization and innovation of cellular networks, combining cellular networks with passive Internet of Things systems can give full play to the advantages of cellular networks, achieve dense networking, suppress equipment interference, and enhance operation and maintenance management capabilities. At the same time, it can further improve communication distance and transmission reliability, becoming an important direction of passive Internet of Things technology development recognized by the industry.

[0101] There are two main potential air interface architectures for cellular passive 3.0 systems. The first is direct communication between cellular base stations and tags. The base stations support both downlink signal excitation and uplink data reception, with low hardware deployment costs, making them suitable for large-scale outdoor deployment scenarios. The second is to use UE relays or other relays to send excitation signals and / or receive backscattered signals, meeting the needs of regional passive tag fixed-point excitation, data aggregation, re-encryption, and unified reporting.

[0102] In related technologies, cellular passive architectures include the following scenarios:

[0103] Scenario 1: Direct cellular connection

[0104] The cellular base station communicates directly with the passive tag, sending a radio frequency carrier signal and a command signal. The radio frequency carrier signal provides energy and a carrier for modulation, while the command signal carries the tag's control information. The passive tag transmits this information to the base station via backscatter, as shown in Figure 4. This architecture requires minimal hardware, offers low communication latency, and is relatively simple to network. However, due to the tag's receiver sensitivity, the downlink budget is smaller than the uplink budget. It is suitable for open outdoor applications such as logistics, animal husbandry, and transportation.

[0105] Scenario 2: Base station relay

[0106] Relay base stations (such as micro-base stations and pole stations built and managed by operators) are introduced to relay and forward base station air interface signaling and report tag information, as shown in Figure 5. 5G NR wired backhaul can be used between the master station and the relay base station, while relevant passive communication protocols (such as ISO / IEC 18000-6C RFID) can be used between the relay base station and the passive tags. In this architecture, the relay base station supports information forwarding and enables long-distance transmission while also being compatible with traditional passive tags, ensuring smooth technological evolution. This approach is suitable for scenarios where traditional RFID equipment is already widely deployed, such as large-scale warehousing and retail industries.

[0107] Case 3: Auxiliary energy supply

[0108] Based on direct communication, energy supply nodes are introduced to address the issue of shrinking downlink coverage. The base station sends downlink command signals to passive tags, receives uplink backscatter information from the tags, and centrally dispatches distributed energy supply nodes through air interface signaling, enabling close-range energy supply to the tags, as shown in Figure 6. In this architecture, the energy supply nodes have a single function, allowing them to reuse the traditional wireless communication signals of existing network equipment (such as gateways and CPE (Customer Premise Equipment)) without requiring additional upgrades. Furthermore, they can also combine tag-side capabilities to collect and convert ambient energy sources (such as solar energy, kinetic energy, and thermal energy). This architecture is suitable for scenarios where reusable energy supply nodes already exist, such as homes and retail, as well as for scenarios where multipath interference is strong and transmission power needs to be increased to compensate for penetration loss, such as warehouses, factories, and power cable monitoring.

[0109] Case 4: UE relay

[0110] The UE (User Equipment) acts as a relay node, relaying air interface signaling from the cellular base station or backscattered signals from the passive tag. The cellular network sends commands to the UE, which then transmits a radio frequency carrier signal and command signal to initiate communication with the passive tag, as shown in Figure 7. In this architecture, similar to scenario 2 above, UE proximity stimulation can improve downlink transmission range and ensure continuous network coverage. Furthermore, because the UE's coverage area is much smaller than that of the base station, targeted stimulation can be achieved (for example, stimulating only passive tags on a specific assembly line in a workshop). Furthermore, the UE can include protocol conversion capabilities, improving compatibility. However, unlike scenario 2 above, this type of UE is often manufactured and managed by the terminal manufacturer. Therefore, it is suitable for indoor scenarios such as homes and healthcare where UEs can be reused, as well as for scenarios such as factories and retail that require targeted stimulation.

[0111] Case 5: Relay-separated reception

[0112] The base station transmits a radio frequency carrier signal and downlink command signal to the passive tag. The UE receives and transmits the uplink backscattered information from the passive tag, as shown in Figure 8. Compared to Scenario 4 above, this architecture reduces the requirement for the UE to eliminate signal self-interference, resulting in a relatively low cost. However, due to the asymmetric uplink and downlink information exchange on the base station side, the cellular network has difficulty in authenticating, authorizing, and managing the mobility of the passive tag. Therefore, this architecture is only suitable for scenarios requiring blind stimulation, such as advertising push and museum exhibit explanations.

[0113] Case 6: Relay-separated energy supply

[0114] The base station sends a command signal to the passive tag and receives the tag's uplink information. The UE, under unified scheduling by the base station, sends a radio frequency carrier signal to complete the passive tag activation, as shown in Figure 9. This architecture has low requirements for the UE's signal reception and forwarding capabilities. Existing network equipment can be reused as a UE, but the order in which the radio frequency carrier signal and the command signal arrive at the tag must be coordinated. The applicable scenario is similar to the above scenario 4.

[0115] Case 7: Relay Separation Incentive

[0116] As shown in Figure 10, the relay-separated excitation architecture is similar to the architecture in scenario 6 above. The only difference is that in this architecture, the RF excitation signal and the command signal are sent uniformly by the UE. Therefore, although the UE capability requirements are higher, the arrival of the RF excitation signal and the command signal is easier to coordinate.

[0117] It is understandable that the above situations 1 to 7 correspond to different cellular passive service scenarios. In different scenarios, the auxiliary communication capabilities provided by access network equipment and relay nodes to passive tags are different, which makes it difficult for cellular passive Internet of Things to meet the multi-scenario implementation of cellular passive services.

[0118] The following is an example of how 5G networks and passive IoT technologies are integrated into the 5G network architecture:

[0119] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the 5G network architecture, which includes terminal equipment, access network (AN) equipment, core network elements and data network (DN).

[0120] The terminal device may be referred to as user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user equipment, etc. The terminal device may be a device that provides voice / data connectivity to a user.

[0121] It should be understood that the terminal device can be any device that can access the network. The terminal device and the access network device can communicate with each other using a certain air interface technology.

[0122] The core network elements may include but are not limited to the following network elements: access and mobility management function (AMF), authentication server function (AUSF), unified data management (UDM), session management function (SMF) and user plane function (UPF).

[0123] The AMF network element, the termination point for non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, is primarily responsible for user access authentication and mobility management. Terminal devices and the AMF can communicate via N1 NAS messages. Communication messages between the terminal device and the AMF can also be relayed via RAN N2 messages. The RAN and AMF communicate via N2 messages.

[0124] The AUSF network element has an authentication service function and is used to process authentication requests for 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access and non-3GPP access.

[0125] UDM network element is used to manage user contract information and complete user authentication and authorization.

[0126] The SMF network element is responsible for session management, such as establishing and deleting user sessions, maintaining protocol data unit (PDU) session context and user plane forwarding channel information, etc.

[0127] UPF network element, used to process user messages, such as forwarding and billing.

[0128] A DN, used to provide services to terminal devices, can be a private network, such as a local area network (LAN); an external network not controlled by the operator, such as the Internet; or a proprietary network jointly deployed by operators, such as the network that provides the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS). Terminal devices can access the DN through established protocol data unit (PDU) sessions.

[0129] The network architecture diagram shown in Figure 11 also includes interfaces between various network elements, for example, N2 represents the interface between the AMF network element and the RAN device.

[0130] In future communication systems such as 6G communication systems, the above-mentioned network elements or devices may still use their names in 4G or 5G communication systems, or have other names; the functions of the above-mentioned network elements or devices may be completed by an independent network element or by several network elements together, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0131] In actual deployment, network elements in the core network can be combined. For example, the mobility management network element can be combined with the session management network element; the session management network element can be combined with the user plane network element; the network slice selection function network element, the policy control network element, and the unified data management network element can be combined. When two network elements are combined, the interaction between the two network elements provided in the embodiments of the present application becomes an internal operation of the combined network element or can be omitted.

[0132] Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of the passive IoT technology integrated into the 5G network according to an embodiment of the present application. The architecture includes tags, terminal devices, access network devices, core network elements, and passive service servers. In addition to the core network elements shown in Figure 11, the core network elements may also include network exposure function (NEF) elements. Optionally, passive IoT elements may also be included.

[0133] Among them, the NEF network element can be used to perform protocol conversion for external and internal interactions, for example, for the interaction between 3GPP external network elements (such as passive service servers) and 3GPP internal network elements (such as SMF). 3GPP network can refer to a network defined by the 3GPP protocol, such as a mobile communication network, a public land mobile network (PLMN), a non-public network (NPN), etc., which includes an access network, a core network, and terminal equipment. It can be a fifth-generation communication (5G) network or a future evolved mobile communication network.

[0134] Passive IoT network elements can be used to provide middleware functions in passive IoT systems. For example, they communicate with passive service servers and generate operational instructions that can be recognized by readers or actuators based on application layer instructions.

[0135] As shown in Figure 12, interfaces exist between the AMF, SMF, and UPF network elements and the passive IoT network elements, indicating that the AMF and SMF network elements can communicate with the passive IoT network elements, and that the UPF network element can communicate with the passive IoT network elements. The UPF network element can communicate with the passive IoT network elements through the N6 interface.

[0136] As shown in Figure 12, interfaces exist between the terminal device, the (R)AN, and the tag. Specifically, in a system architecture integrating passive IoT technology into 5G networks, tags no longer receive downlink passive IoT information via dedicated spectrum, but instead receive it from the terminal device via the cellular air interface. Uplink passive IoT information sent by the tag can be sent to the (R)AN via the passive IoT air interface. This allows tags to send uplink information to the (R)AN without passing through the terminal device.

[0137] It should be noted that the passive IoT network element in Figure 12 is shown as a standalone element for illustrative purposes only. In other feasible implementations, the passive IoT network element can be co-located with other core network elements. For example, the passive IoT network element can be co-located with an NEF network element, or with an UPF network element. If the passive IoT network element and the UPF network element are co-located, the system architecture shown in Figure 12 may not include the NEF network element. When the two network elements are co-located, the interactions between the two elements provided in the embodiments of the present application become internal operations of the co-located network element or can be omitted.

[0138] It should be noted that, in cellular passive architectures, in addition to the direct connection architecture described in Scenario 1 above, in other architectures containing relay nodes, the relay nodes can exist as UEs, base stations, or third-party devices. In related technologies, there is no mechanism to manage and maintain relay node information within the network in cellular passive systems. Furthermore, in different scenarios, the auxiliary communication capabilities provided by access network equipment and relay nodes to passive tags vary, making it difficult for cellular passive IoT to meet the multi-scenario implementation of cellular passive services.

[0139] Based on this, in various embodiments of the present application, the registration of the relay node in the network and the negotiation of auxiliary communication capabilities are completed through the interaction between the relay node and the cellular network, so that the cellular passive Internet of Things can meet the needs of cellular passive services in different network deployment scenarios and reduce the upgrade pressure of access network equipment.

[0140] For example, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to a relay node. The relay node may be a UE, a base station, or a third-party device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit this. As shown in FIG13 , the method includes:

[0141] Step 1301: Send a registration request to a network device, wherein the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

[0142] Here, the relay node may send a registration request to the network device, where the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, so as to facilitate the network device to register the relay node and negotiate the auxiliary communication capability.

[0143] It should be noted that the aforementioned identity information can be generated based on at least one of the relay node ID, the IP address, and the MAC address of the relay node, and is used to uniquely identify the relay node in the network; the aforementioned auxiliary capability identification information can identify the passive auxiliary capability supported by the relay node, wherein the passive exciter function means that the relay node can act as a passive exciter for the tag, sending an excitation signal and passive downlink information to the tag; the passive receiver function means that the relay node can act as a passive receiver for the tag, receiving the passive uplink information sent by the tag based on backscatter technology and forwarding it to the network. It is understandable that the relay node can support either the passive receiver function or the passive exciter function, or the relay node can support both the passive receiver function and the passive exciter function. Different coding identifiers can be used to distinguish between the above different situations. For example, in one example, the auxiliary capability identification information is encoded using 2 bits, 01 indicates that the relay node supports the passive exciter function, 10 indicates that the relay node supports the passive receiver function, and 11 indicates that the relay node supports both the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function. The specific coding identifier can be reasonably set based on the needs, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. It is understandable that the network device can register and manage the relay node based on the registration request.

[0144] Exemplarily, the method may further include:

[0145] Step 1302: Receive a registration response from a network device, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function.

[0146] Here, the relay node can receive a registration response returned by the network device, which carries the relay node's capability configuration information. It should be noted that after receiving the registration request sent by the relay node, the network device can register and manage the relay node based on its identity information. It can also negotiate the relay node's auxiliary communication capabilities based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device, and generate the relay node's capability configuration information. This capability configuration information can be sent to the relay node along with the registration response.

[0147] Exemplarily, the network device can perform authentication verification based on the identity information of the relay node, that is, determine whether the identity information of the relay node is in the authorized relay node directory. Only after determining that the identity of the relay node is legal, the relay node capability negotiation is performed, which can effectively prevent the access of unauthenticated relay nodes.

[0148] Exemplarily, the auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device has enabled the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function. The network device may negotiate the auxiliary communication capability of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device and generate capability configuration information of the relay node according to at least one of the load status, the operating status, and the control strategy. The load status may include first information indicating the number of accesses to the access network device, the operating status may include second information indicating whether the access network device is in a dormant state, and the control strategy may include a strategy for enabling the passive exciter and / or passive receiver function of the access network device based on time-sharing control.

[0149] In an application example, if the access network device does not support the passive receiver function or the access network device has not turned on the passive receiver function, the capability configuration information generated by the network device can instruct the relay node to activate the passive receiver function; if the access network device supports the passive receiver function or the access network device has turned on the passive receiver function, the network device can generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive receiver function after determining that the access network device has turned on the passive receiver function; if the access network device does not support the passive exciter function or the access network device has not turned on the passive exciter function, the capability configuration information generated by the network device can instruct the relay node to activate the passive exciter function; if the access network device does not support the passive exciter function or the access network device has turned on the passive exciter function, the network device can generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive exciter function after determining that the access network device has turned on the passive exciter function.

[0150] Step 1303: Activate or deactivate at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function supported by the relay node based on the capability configuration information.

[0151] It can be understood that after receiving the registration response, the relay node can obtain the capability configuration information, and based on the capability configuration information, activate or deactivate at least one of the passive exciter function and passive receiver function supported by the relay node, thereby adapting the passive auxiliary capability of the relay node to the passive auxiliary capability of the access network device to meet the implementation requirements of cellular passive services in the current scenario.

[0152] Exemplarily, sending the registration request to the network device includes:

[0153] Send a registration request to the access network device; or,

[0154] A registration request is sent to a passive service server, and the registration request is forwarded to a core network device or an access network device via the passive service server.

[0155] In one application example, the relay node may send a registration request directly to the access network device, or the relay node may send a registration request to a passive service server, which then forwards the registration request to the access network device via the core network device. In this case, the access network device registers the relay node and negotiates the auxiliary passive capability (i.e., auxiliary communication capability).

[0156] In another application example, the relay node may send a registration request to a passive service server, which forwards the registration request to a core network device. In this case, the core network device registers the relay node and negotiates the auxiliary passive capability.

[0157] Exemplarily, receiving a registration response from a network device includes:

[0158] receiving a registration response sent by the access network device; or,

[0159] Receive a registration response sent by the passive service server.

[0160] In actual applications, when the access network device registers the relay node and negotiates the auxiliary passive capabilities, the relay node can receive the registration response sent by the access network device; when the core network device registers the relay node and negotiates the auxiliary passive capabilities, the core network device can send a registration response to the passive service server, and the passive service server sends the registration response to the relay node, that is, the relay node receives the registration response sent by the passive service server.

[0161] Exemplarily, the method further includes:

[0162] receiving first cellular Internet of Things information sent by the access network device, and sending the first cellular Internet of Things information to the tag; and / or,

[0163] The receiving tag sends the second cellular Internet of Things information based on the backscatter technology, and sends the second cellular Internet of Things information to the access network device.

[0164] It can be understood that if the relay node has activated the passive exciter function based on the capability configuration information, when the passive service server sends the first cellular Internet of Things information, the core network device can carry the identity information of the relay node when sending the first cellular Internet of Things information, so that the access network device can send the first cellular Internet of Things information to the relay node acting as a passive exciter, and the relay node sends the excitation signal and the first cellular Internet of Things information to the tag.

[0165] It can be understood that if the relay node has activated the passive receiver function based on the capability configuration information, the second cellular Internet of Things information sent by the tag based on the backscatter technology is received by the relay node and sent to the access network device.

[0166] Exemplarily, the first cellular Internet of Things information may include but is not limited to: tag inventory instructions, read and write instructions, positioning instructions, etc.

[0167] In one application example, the passive service server can send an inventory instruction for the label to perform an inventory operation. The network device can obtain the mapping relationship between the relay node and the label within its coverage range based on the information returned by the label, and store the mapping relationship between the relay node and the label within its coverage range, thereby improving the relevant information of the relay node.

[0168] It is understandable that the relay node registration method according to the embodiment of the present application enables the relay node to have the following benefits after registering in the cellular network:

[0169] 1. When the relay node exists as a passive receiver in a split architecture, it allows the cellular network (base station) to find it accurately without the need for the base station to send tag instructions to multiple receivers.

[0170] 2. When the relay node exists as a passive stimulator in a separate architecture, it allows the receiver to find it accurately without the receiver having to send tag commands to multiple stimulators and introduce signal interference.

[0171] 3. Regardless of whether the relay node acts as a passive receiver or a passive exciter, it can only be confirmed that it can access the cellular network service after authentication verification, preventing unauthenticated relay nodes from accessing.

[0172] 4. In addition, some base stations in the network provide passive receiver functionality, while some traditional base stations do not. The passive receiver function of the relay node can be flexibly enabled or disabled based on whether the base station provides passive receiver functionality, as determined by negotiation with the network during registration, to adapt to different network deployment scenarios.

[0173] Illustratively, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to an access network device. The access network device (i.e., RAN device) may be a base station. As shown in FIG14 , the method includes:

[0174] Step 1401: Receive a registration request from a relay node. The registration request carries the relay node's identity information and auxiliary capability information, where the auxiliary capability information indicates that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function. The registration request is used to perform registration management on the relay node.

[0175] Exemplarily, the method may further include:

[0176] Step 1402: Send a registration response to the relay node, where the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0177] It can be understood that after the access network device receives the registration request, it can register and manage the relay node based on the identity information, and can also negotiate the capabilities of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device to generate the capability configuration information of the relay node. The capability configuration information can be sent to the relay node along with the registration response.

[0178] Exemplarily, the access network device can perform authentication verification based on the identity information of the relay node, that is, determine whether the identity information of the relay node is in the authorized relay node directory. Only after determining that the identity of the relay node is legal, the relay node capability negotiation is performed, which can effectively prevent the access of unauthenticated relay nodes.

[0179] Exemplarily, the receiving a registration request from the relay node includes:

[0180] Receive a registration request sent by a relay node; or,

[0181] A registration request is received, which is sent by the relay node via the passive service server.

[0182] In actual applications, the relay node sends the registration request by directly sending the registration request to the access network device, or the relay node sends the registration request to the passive service server, and the registration request is forwarded by the passive service server to the access network device via the core network device. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0183] Exemplarily, the method further includes:

[0184] generating capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device;

[0185] The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device has enabled the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

[0186] In an application example, if the access network device does not support the passive receiver function or the access network device has not turned on the passive receiver function, the capability configuration information generated by the access network device may instruct the relay node to activate the passive receiver function; if the access network device supports the passive receiver function or the access network device has turned on the passive receiver function, the access network device may generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive receiver function after determining that the access network device has turned on the passive receiver function; if the access network device does not support the passive exciter function or the access network device has not turned on the passive exciter function, the capability configuration information generated by the access network device may instruct the relay node to activate the passive exciter function; if the access network device supports the passive exciter function or the access network device has turned on the passive exciter function, the access network device may generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive exciter function after determining that the access network device has turned on the passive exciter function.

[0187] Exemplarily, the method further includes:

[0188] Obtain and store a mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage area.

[0189] It is understandable that the passive service server can send an inventory instruction for the tag to perform an inventory operation on the tag. The access network device can obtain the mapping relationship between the relay node and the tag within its coverage range based on the information returned by the tag, and store the mapping relationship between the relay node and the tag within its coverage range, thereby improving the relevant information of the relay node. In this way, the access network device can interact with the tag based on the maintained relay node information. For example, if the relay node acts as a passive receiver of the target tag, the passive Internet of Things uplink information returned by the target tag can be received by the relay node and then uploaded to the access network device. If the relay node acts as a passive exciter of the target tag, the access network device can send passive Internet of Things downlink information to the relay node, and the relay node sends the excitation signal and passive Internet of Things downlink information to the target tag.

[0190] For example, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for registering relay nodes of a passive Internet of Things, which is applied to core network equipment, for example, a passive Internet of Things network element, and the passive Internet of Things network element performs the registration and capability negotiation management of the relay node. It should be noted that the passive Internet of Things network element can be set up independently or in combination with other core network network elements, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this. As shown in Figure 15, the method includes:

[0191] Step 1501: Receive a registration request from a relay node. The registration request carries the relay node's identity information and auxiliary capability information, where the auxiliary capability information indicates that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function. The registration request is used to perform registration management on the relay node.

[0192] Exemplarily, the method may further include:

[0193] Step 1502: Send a registration response to the relay node, where the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0194] It can be understood that after the core network device receives the registration request, it can register and manage the relay node based on the identity information, and can also negotiate the auxiliary communication capability of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device, and generate the capability configuration information of the relay node. The capability configuration information can be sent to the relay node along with the registration response.

[0195] Exemplarily, the core network device can perform authentication verification based on the identity information of the relay node, that is, determine whether the identity information of the relay node is in the authorized relay node directory. Only after determining that the identity of the relay node is legal, the relay node capability negotiation is performed, which can effectively prevent the access of unauthenticated relay nodes.

[0196] Exemplarily, the method further includes:

[0197] Obtaining accessibility status and / or accessibility information of access network devices;

[0198] generating capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device;

[0199] The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device has enabled the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

[0200] In an application example, if the access network device does not support the passive receiver function or the access network device has not turned on the passive receiver function, the capability configuration information generated by the core network device can instruct the relay node to activate the passive receiver function; if the access network device supports the passive receiver function or the access network device has turned on the passive receiver function, the core network device can generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive receiver function after determining that the access network device has turned on the passive receiver function; if the access network device does not support the passive exciter function or the access network device has not turned on the passive exciter function, the capability configuration information generated by the core network device can instruct the relay node to activate the passive exciter function; if the access network device supports the passive exciter function or the access network device has turned on the passive exciter function, the core network device can generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive exciter function after determining that the access network device has turned on the passive exciter function.

[0201] Exemplarily, the method further includes:

[0202] Obtain and store a mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage area.

[0203] It can be understood that the passive service server can send inventory instructions for labels to perform inventory operations. The core network equipment can obtain the mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage range based on the information returned by the label, and store the mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage range, thereby improving the relevant information of the relay node.

[0204] Exemplarily, the method further includes:

[0205] receiving a passive IoT command for accessing a target tag;

[0206] Determine a target relay node corresponding to the target tag based on the mapping relationship;

[0207] The passive Internet of Things instruction and the identity information of the target relay node are sent to the access network device corresponding to the target tag.

[0208] It is understandable that when the core network device forwards the passive IoT instruction issued by the passive service server, it can send the identity information of the target relay node to the access network device along with the IoT instruction, so that the access network device can accurately determine the target relay node, thereby achieving the coordination of auxiliary communication capabilities between the two and meeting the passive IoT service requirements in different network deployment scenarios. The application is further described in detail below in conjunction with application examples.

[0209] Application Example 1

[0210] In this application embodiment, the relay node information is maintained by the access network device, that is, the relay node exchanges information with the RAN device, and the RAN device maintains the relay node information, including the mapping relationship between the relay node and the label.

[0211] FIG16 shows two methods for registering a relay node in this embodiment of the present application, wherein method one corresponds to steps 1601a to 1602a, and method two corresponds to steps 1600b to 1606b. The above method one and method two are exemplarily described below in conjunction with FIG16.

[0212] Method 1:

[0213] Step 1601a: The relay node sends a registration request.

[0214] The relay node sends a registration request to the RAN device, which carries the relay node's identity information and auxiliary capability identification information. The identity information can be generated based on at least one of the relay node ID, the relay node's IP address, and the MAC address, and is used to uniquely identify the relay node. The auxiliary capability identification information is used by the relay node to report its supported passive exciter function or passive receiver function to the RAN device.

[0215] Step 1602a: The relay node receives the registration response.

[0216] The RAN device replies with a registration response to the relay node, for negotiating the passive exciter and / or passive receiver functions with the relay node. The registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, where the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function.

[0217] After receiving the registration response, the relay node can obtain the capability configuration information, and based on the capability configuration information, activate or deactivate at least one of the passive exciter function and passive receiver function supported by the relay node, thereby adapting the passive auxiliary capability of the relay node to the passive auxiliary capability of the access network device to meet the implementation requirements of cellular passive services in the current scenario.

[0218] It should be noted that the protocol for interaction between the relay node and the RAN device in method one can use application layer protocols such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport), and QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections), which is not limited in this application embodiment.

[0219] Method 2:

[0220] Step 1600b: The relay node sends a registration request.

[0221] The relay node sends a registration request to the passive service server, which carries the relay node's identity information and auxiliary capability information. The identity information can be generated based on at least one of the relay node ID, IP address, or MAC address, and is used to uniquely identify the relay node. The auxiliary capability information indicates the passive exciter function and / or passive receiver function supported by the relay node. Exemplarily, the registration request may also carry information about the relay node's location area, which is used by the cellular network to subsequently determine one or more RAN devices that can be served by the relay node.

[0222] It should be noted that, in the scenario where the passive service server can execute step 1601b by other triggering conditions,

[0223] Step 1600b may be omitted. For example, the passive service server may perform step 1601b based on the information of the configured relay node.

[0224] Step 1601b: The passive service server sends a registration request.

[0225] The passive service server sends a relay node registration request to the NEF network element, which transmits the relay node's identity information and auxiliary capability information to the cellular network. The registration request may also include the relay node's location area information, which is used by the cellular network to subsequently determine one or more RAN devices that can serve it.

[0226] Step 1602b: The NEF network element forwards the registration request to the passive IoT network element.

[0227] Step 1603b: The passive IoT network element forwards the registration request to the AMF network element.

[0228] The passive IoT network element can send a registration request to the AMF network element directly, or it can send it to the SMF network element through the UPF network element, and the SMF network element forwards it to the AMF network element. Here, the passive IoT network element can determine the information of the target AMF network element based on the location area information of the relay node, and then forward the registration request to the target AMF network element.

[0229] Step 1604b: The AMF network element forwards the registration request to the RAN device.

[0230] Here, the AMF network element determines the information of one or more target RAN devices based on the location area information of the relay node, and then forwards the registration request to the determined RAN device.

[0231] Step 1605b: The RAN device sends a relay node configuration request to the relay node.

[0232] Here, the RAN device performs capability negotiation on the relay node based on its own auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information, generates capability configuration information of the relay node, and sends a relay node configuration request to the relay node, for example, carrying the capability configuration information of the relay node in the returned registration response.

[0233] Exemplarily, if the RAN device does not support the passive receiver function or the RAN device has not turned on the passive receiver function, the capability configuration information generated by the RAN device may instruct the relay node to activate the passive receiver function; if the RAN device supports the passive receiver function or the RAN device has turned on the passive receiver function, the RAN device may generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive receiver function after determining that the RAN device has turned on the passive receiver function; if the RAN device does not support the passive exciter function or the RAN device has not turned on the passive exciter function, the capability configuration information generated by the RAN device may instruct the relay node to activate the passive exciter function; if the RAN device supports the passive exciter function or the RAN device has turned on the passive exciter function, the RAN device may generate capability configuration information instructing the relay node to deactivate the passive exciter function after determining that the RAN device has turned on the passive exciter function.

[0234] Step 1606b: The relay node sends a relay node configuration response to the RAN device.

[0235] After receiving the registration response, the relay node performs auxiliary capability configuration based on the capability configuration information and sends a relay node configuration response to the RAN device. The RAN device can record the identity information of the relay node and the auxiliary capability information of the relay node.

[0236] It should be noted that after completing the label inventory, the RAN device can maintain the binding relationship between the relay node and the label identifier, so as to accurately determine the relay node information corresponding to the label in subsequent label passive instructions.

[0237] The advantage of this application embodiment is that the relay node and the RAN device can perform capability negotiation through a relatively simple process, serving the capability support scenarios of the passive receivers and / or passive exciters of various RAN devices in the network.

[0238] Application Example 2

[0239] In this application embodiment, the relay node information is maintained by the core network equipment, for example, by the passive Internet of Things network element, which can be set up independently or in combination with other core network elements, such as the AMF network element, the UDM network element, the UPF network element, etc. The passive Internet of Things network element determines the activation or deactivation of the passive receiver function and / or the passive exciter function of the relay node with the support of the passive receiver and / or passive exciter capabilities of the RAN device. In the passive service process, the cellular network core network element carries the relay node information in the passive Internet of Things instruction, instructing the RAN device to determine the target relay node to which the passive Internet of Things instruction needs to be sent.

[0240] As shown in FIG17 , the relay node registration method of this application embodiment includes:

[0241] Step 1700: Maintain RAN capability information.

[0242] The passive IoT network element of the cellular network predetermines the capability support of the passive receiver and / or passive exciter of the RAN device in the network, that is, obtains the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the RAN device, wherein the auxiliary capability status indicates whether the RAN device turns on the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the RAN device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive exciter function.

[0243] Step 1701: The relay node sends a registration request.

[0244] The relay node sends a registration request to the passive service server, which carries the relay node's identity information and auxiliary capability information. The identity information can be generated based on at least one of the relay node ID, IP address, or MAC address, and is used to uniquely identify the relay node. The auxiliary capability information indicates the passive exciter function and / or passive receiver function supported by the relay node. Exemplarily, the registration request may also carry information about the relay node's location area, which is used by the cellular network to subsequently determine one or more RAN devices that can be served by the relay node.

[0245] Step 1702: The passive service server forwards the registration request to the NEF network element.

[0246] Step 1703: The NEF network element forwards the registration request to the passive IoT network element.

[0247] Step 1704: Determine the capability configuration information of the relay node based on the RAN capability information, and maintain the relay node registration information.

[0248] The passive IoT network element determines the capability configuration information of the relay node based on the RAN capability information maintained in step 1700 and simultaneously maintains the relay node registration information.

[0249] Step 1705: The passive IoT network element sends a registration response to the NEF network element.

[0250] It is understandable that the registration response carries the capability configuration information of the relay node.

[0251] Step 1706: The NEF network element forwards the registration response to the passive service server.

[0252] Step 1707: The passive service server forwards the registration response of the relay node to the relay node.

[0253] Here, after receiving the registration response, the relay node may perform auxiliary capability configuration based on the capability configuration information.

[0254] Step 1708: The passive service server sends a passive IoT instruction to the NEF network element.

[0255] Step 1709: The NEF network element sends a passive Internet of Things instruction to the passive Internet of Things network element.

[0256] Step 1710: The passive IoT network element sends a passive IoT instruction to the AMF network element.

[0257] Exemplarily, when the identification information of the relay node is not carried in step 1709, the message in step 1710 may carry the identification information of the relay node, that is, the identity information of the relay node.

[0258] Step 1711: The AMF network element sends a passive IoT instruction to the RAN device.

[0259] Here, the passive IoT instruction carries the identity information of the relay node, which facilitates the RAN device to determine the target relay node.

[0260] Step 1712: The RAN device sends a passive IoT instruction to the relay node.

[0261] It should be noted that after completing the tag inventory, the passive IoT network element can maintain the binding relationship between the relay node and the tag identifier, which is used to accurately identify the relay node information corresponding to the tag in subsequent tag passive instructions.

[0262] It can be understood that in this application embodiment, the device capabilities of the passive system are uniformly managed and maintained on the core network side of the cellular network, and there is no need to maintain the relay node information by enhancing the RAN equipment.

[0263] In order to implement the method of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things. The relay node registration device for the passive Internet of Things corresponds to the above-mentioned relay node registration method for the passive Internet of Things, and each step in the embodiment of the above-mentioned relay node registration method for the passive Internet of Things is also fully applicable to the embodiment of the relay node registration device for the passive Internet of Things.

[0264] As shown in FIG18 , an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things (IoT) applied to a relay node. The relay node registration device for the passive Internet of Things includes: a first sending module 1801, a first receiving module 1802, and a configuration module 1803. The first sending module 1801 is configured to send a registration request to a network device, wherein the registration request carries identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, wherein the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function; the first receiving module 1802 is configured to receive a registration response from the network device, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, wherein the capability configuration information is used to indicate that the relay node activates or deactivates at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function; and the configuration module 1803 is configured to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function, based on the capability configuration information.

[0265] Exemplarily, the first sending module 1801 is specifically configured as follows:

[0266] Send a registration request to the access network device; or,

[0267] A registration request is sent to a passive service server, and the registration request is forwarded to a core network device or an access network device via the passive service server.

[0268] Exemplarily, the first receiving module 1802 is specifically configured as follows:

[0269] receiving a registration response sent by the access network device; or,

[0270] Receive a registration response sent by the passive service server.

[0271] Exemplarily, the relay node registration device of the passive Internet of Things further includes: an auxiliary capability module 1804, configured to:

[0272] receiving first cellular Internet of Things information sent by the access network device, and sending the first cellular Internet of Things information to the tag; and / or,

[0273] The receiving tag sends the second cellular Internet of Things information based on the backscatter technology, and sends the second cellular Internet of Things information to the access network device.

[0274] In actual application, the first sending module 1801, the first receiving module 1802, the configuration module 1803 and the auxiliary capability module 1804 can be implemented by a processor in the relay node. Of course, the processor needs to run the computer program in the memory to implement its functions.

[0275] As shown in FIG19 , an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things applied to an access network device side, the relay node registration device for the passive Internet of Things comprising: a second receiving module 1901 and a second sending module 1902. The second receiving module 1901 is configured to receive a registration request from a relay node, the registration request carrying identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, the auxiliary capability identification information being used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function; and the second sending module 1902 is configured to send a registration response to the relay node, the registration response carrying capability configuration information of the relay node, the capability configuration information being used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

[0276] Exemplarily, the second receiving module 1901 is specifically configured as follows:

[0277] Receive a registration request sent by a relay node; or,

[0278] A registration request is received from the relay node via the passive service server.

[0279] Exemplarily, the relay node registration apparatus of the passive Internet of Things further includes: a capability negotiation module 1903 configured to generate capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device;

[0280] The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device has enabled the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

[0281] Exemplarily, the relay node registration device of the passive Internet of Things further includes: an information management module 1904 configured to obtain and store a mapping relationship between the relay node and the tag within its coverage range.

[0282] In actual application, the second receiving module 1901, the second sending module 1902, the capability negotiation module 1903 and the information management module 1904 can be implemented by a processor in the access network device. Of course, the processor needs to run the computer program in the memory to implement its functions.

[0283] As shown in FIG20 , an embodiment of the present application provides a relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things (IoT) applied to a core network device. The relay node registration device for the passive Internet of Things includes: a third receiving module 2001 and a third sending module 2002. The third receiving module 2001 is configured to receive a registration request from a relay node, the registration request carrying identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, the auxiliary capability identification information being used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function; and the third sending module 2002 is configured to send a registration response to the relay node, the registration response carrying capability configuration information of the relay node, the capability configuration information being used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function.

[0284] Exemplarily, the relay node registration device of the passive Internet of Things further includes: a capability negotiation module 2003 configured to:

[0285] Obtaining accessibility status and / or accessibility information of access network devices;

[0286] generating capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device;

[0287] The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device has enabled the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

[0288] Exemplarily, the relay node registration device of the passive Internet of Things further includes: an information management module 2004 configured to obtain and store a mapping relationship between the relay node and the tag within its coverage range.

[0289] Exemplarily, the relay node registration device of the passive Internet of Things also includes: an instruction forwarding module 2005, configured to receive a passive Internet of Things instruction for accessing a target tag; determine the target relay node corresponding to the target tag based on the mapping relationship; and send the passive Internet of Things instruction and the identity information of the target relay node to the access network device corresponding to the target tag.

[0290] In actual application, the third receiving module 2001, the third sending module 2002, the capability negotiation module 2003, the information management module 2004, and the instruction forwarding module 2005 can be implemented by a processor in the core network device. Of course, the processor needs to run the computer program in the memory to implement its functions.

[0291] It should be noted that the relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things provided in the above embodiment only uses the division of the above-mentioned program modules as an example to illustrate the relay node registration for the passive Internet of Things. In actual applications, the above-mentioned processing can be assigned to different program modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different program modules to complete all or part of the above-described processing. In addition, the relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things provided in the above embodiment and the relay node registration method embodiment for a passive Internet of Things are based on the same concept. The specific implementation process is detailed in the method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0292] Based on the hardware implementation of the above-mentioned program modules, and in order to implement the method of the embodiments of the present application, the embodiments of the present application also provide an electronic device, which can be the aforementioned relay node, access network device, or core network device. Figure 21 only shows an exemplary structure of the electronic device, not the entire structure. Part or all of the structure shown in Figure 21 can be implemented as needed.

[0293] As shown in Figure 21, the electronic device 2100 provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: at least one processor 2101, a memory 2102, a user interface 2103, and at least one network interface 2104. The various components in the electronic device 2100 are coupled together via a bus system 2105. It will be understood that the bus system 2105 is used to implement connection and communication between these components. In addition to including a data bus, the bus system 2105 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, in Figure 21, various buses are labeled as bus system 2105.

[0294] The user interface 2103 may include a display, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a click wheel, keys, buttons, a touch pad or a touch screen.

[0295] The memory 2102 in the embodiment of the present application is used to store various types of data to support the operation of the electronic device. Examples of such data include: any computer program used to operate on the electronic device.

[0296] The relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to or implemented by the processor 2101. The processor 2101 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits or software instructions in the processor 2101. The above-mentioned processor 2101 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The processor 2101 can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium, which is located in the memory 2102. The processor 2101 reads the information in the memory 2102 and combines its hardware to complete the steps of the relay node registration method for the passive Internet of Things provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0297] In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may be implemented by one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), DSPs, programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors, or other electronic components to perform the aforementioned method.

[0298] It is understood that memory 2102 can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), ferromagnetic random access memory (FRAM), flash memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disk, or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM); magnetic surface memory can be magnetic disk memory or tape memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus random access memory (DRRAM).The memories described in the embodiments of this application are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0299] In an exemplary embodiment, the present application also provides a computer storage medium, which may be a computer-readable storage medium, for example, including a memory 2102 storing a computer program. The computer program may be executed by a processor 2101 of an electronic device to complete the steps of the method described in the embodiment of the present application. The computer-readable storage medium may be a memory such as a ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface mount storage, optical disk, or CD-ROM.

[0300] It should be noted that: "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0301] In addition, the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application can be arbitrarily combined without conflict.

[0302] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, applied to a relay node, the method comprising: A registration request is sent to a network device, wherein the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, wherein the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving a registration response from the network device, the registration response carrying capability configuration information of the relay node, the capability configuration information being used to instruct the relay node to perform an activation operation or a deactivation operation on at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function; An activation operation or a deactivation operation is performed on at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function supported by the relay node based on the capability configuration information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The sending of the registration request to the network device comprises: Send a registration request to the access network device; or, A registration request is sent to a passive service server, and the registration request is forwarded to a core network device or an access network device via the passive service server.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The receiving a registration response from the network device comprises: receiving a registration response sent by the access network device; or, Receive a registration response sent by the passive service server.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving first cellular Internet of Things information sent by the access network device, and sending the first cellular Internet of Things information to the tag; and / or, The receiving tag sends the second cellular Internet of Things information based on the backscattering technology, and sends the second cellular Internet of Things information to the access network device.

6. A relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, applied to an access network device, the method comprising: A registration request is received from a relay node, wherein the registration request carries identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, wherein the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The method further comprises: A registration response is sent to the relay node, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The receiving a registration request from the relay node comprises: Receive a registration request directly sent by a relay node; or, A registration request is received which is sent by the relay node via the passive service server.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The method further comprises: generating capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device; The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device turns on the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The method further comprises: Acquire and store the mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage area.

11. A relay node registration method for a passive Internet of Things, applied to a core network device, the method comprising: A registration request is received from a relay node, wherein the registration request carries identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, wherein the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The method further comprises: A registration response is sent to the relay node, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The method further comprises: Obtaining auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of access network equipment; generating capability configuration information of the relay node based on the auxiliary capability status and / or auxiliary capability information of the access network device; The auxiliary capability status indicates whether the access network device turns on the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function, and the auxiliary capability information indicates whether the access network device supports the passive exciter function and / or the passive receiver function.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The method further comprises: Acquire and store the mapping relationship between the relay node and the labels within its coverage area.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving a passive IoT command for accessing a target tag; Determine a target relay node corresponding to the target tag based on the mapping relationship; The passive Internet of Things instruction and the identity information of the target relay node are sent to the access network device corresponding to the target tag.

16. A relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things, applied to a relay node, the device comprising: The first sending module is configured to send a registration request to a network device, wherein the registration request carries identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein: The device also includes: A first receiving module is configured to receive a registration response from the network device, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to perform an activation operation or a deactivation operation on at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the supported passive receiver function; A configuration module is configured to activate or deactivate at least one of the passive exciter function and the passive receiver function supported by the relay node based on the capability configuration information.

18. A relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things, applied to an access network device, the device comprising: The second receiving module is configured to receive a registration request from a relay node, wherein the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein: The device also includes: The second sending module is configured to send a registration response to the relay node, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

20. A relay node registration device for a passive Internet of Things, applied to a core network device, the device comprising: The third receiving module is configured to receive a registration request from a relay node, wherein the registration request carries the identity information and auxiliary capability identification information of the relay node, and the auxiliary capability identification information is used to indicate that the relay node supports Supporting at least one of a passive exciter function and a passive receiver function.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein: The device also includes: The third sending module is configured to send a registration response to the relay node, wherein the registration response carries capability configuration information of the relay node, and the capability configuration information is used to instruct the relay node to activate or deactivate at least one of the supported passive exciter function and the passive receiver function.

22. A relay node, comprising: A processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can be executed on the processor, wherein: The processor is configured to execute the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 when running a computer program.

23. An access network device, comprising: A processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can be executed on the processor, wherein: When the processor is configured to run the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 are performed.

24. A core network device, comprising: A processor and a memory for storing a computer program that can be executed on the processor, wherein: When the processor is configured to run the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 11 to 15 are performed.

25. A computer storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 are implemented.

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